U.S. Central Command: We Shot Down 4 Drones Launched from Yemen

The U.S. Central Command stated that the United States shot down four drones heading toward an American destroyer in the southern Red Sea that were launched from areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen on Saturday. The command wrote on X, "These attacks represent the fourteenth and fifteenth attacks on commercial vessels by Houthi militants since October 17." The Iran-backed Houthi group, which controls much of Yemen's territory, has caused disruptions in global trade for weeks by launching attacks on vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait at the southern end of the Red Sea, which they claim is a response to the Israeli war on Gaza. The U.S. Central Command mentioned that the U.S. Navy's Central Command responded to distress calls from two ships that were attacked. The post noted that a chemical and oil tanker sailing under the Norwegian flag, owned and operated by the same company, reported being attacked by a drone from the Houthis, and a crude oil tanker owned by Gabon and sailing under the Indian flag also reported an attack. It added that two Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles "were also launched at international shipping lanes in the southern Red Sea from areas controlled by the Houthis in Yemen." The post also mentioned that "no ships were reported to be affected by the ballistic missiles." Earlier, the British Maritime Trade Operations reported that an unmanned aerial system exploded near a ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, 45 nautical miles southwest of Al-Saleef, Yemen. The United States launched Operation "Guardian of Prosperity" three days ago, stating that more than a dozen countries agreed to participate in an effort that will include joint patrols in the waters of the Red Sea near Yemen.